I have previously written about the difference between how the world is and how we imagine it could be. Today I was thinking about the problem from the microcosmic point of view—the difference between what I am and what I wish I could be. Why is so much of our potential never actualized? Continue reading Thoughts At The End Of January, 2023
Monthly Archives: January 2023
Why Do People Believe Crazy Things?
superb essay about the proliferation of online conspiracy theories was published at 3 Quarks Daily on .
As an undergraduate History major, I reluctantly dug up a halfway natural science class to fulfill my college’s general education requirement. It was called Psychology as a Natural Science. However, the massive textbook assigned to us turned out to be chock full of interesting tidbits ranging from optical illusions to odd tales. Continue reading Why Do People Believe Crazy Things?
Dinner For Nietzsche: Rhythms, Rituals, And Eternal Return
Stone where Nietzsche reports having had the inspiration for his ‘eternal return’, with commemorative plaque.1 Continue reading Dinner For Nietzsche: Rhythms, Rituals, And Eternal Return
Sean Carroll: The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe
I have just finished Sean Carroll’s The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself. Carroll is a theoretical physicist and philosopher who specializes in quantum mechanics, gravity, and cosmology. He is a prolific public speaker, science populariser, and an NSF Distinguished Lecturer. It’s one of the most enjoyable and thoughtful books I’ve read in a long time. Continue reading Sean Carroll: The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe
Can Science Make Us Immortal?
Human chromosomes (grey) capped by telomeres (white)
If death is inevitable, then all we can do is die and hope for the best. But perhaps we don’t have to die. Many respectable scientists now believe that humans can overcome death and achieve immortality through the use of future technologies. But how will we do this? Continue reading Can Science Make Us Immortal?